Criss Angel’s Levitation Revealed

[Guest]

I was surfing the internet (trying desperately to avoid my college algebra homework) when a website I had opened had this inviting link Criss Angel spoils all the fun. I clicked on it and guess what --- the explanation portion on his levitation video pops up. Theres Criss Angel in his living room explaining how he levitated on his weekly TV show. So the next question is, what now? Should I email Criss Angel? This is very disturbing to say the least. Any input would be appreciated.

[Richard Kaufman]

I've taken care of it.

[Guest]

Thank you.

[Guest]

Richard,
It's back. If you can handle it again I'm sure everyone would be happier. If you email me privately I can send you who the offending website url.

singram1028@yahoo.com

Shawn

[Guest]

it has appeared on metacafe as well.


:( & :mad:


:genii:

[Pete Biro]

So many people have done it, and so many shows have featured it... it's time to do something else anyway. Let it rest for a few years.

[Guest]

This is what happens when one markets to the masses. They get it, don't appreciate that often the 'how' isn't as cool as what they see and they want their pound of flesh so they post the secret. Most magicians would appreciate the explanation more and wouldn't likely post on the web (or whatever putting a video up is called).
Steve V

[Ryan Matney]

Pete,
What do you mean shows have featured it? Has the levitation Angel marketed been exposed on tv shows?

[Guest]

The reason why once something is on the Net that it cannot easily be "be taken care of" is that other sites pick it up like hungry dogs. Once it out, it's out.

Criss was foolish to have video taped the explanation in the first place.

It took Google fractions of a second to find Criss Angel levitation." The Google listed the performance and the explanation.

Sorry Criss. It is both sad and unnecessary that this was done.

[Pete Biro]

NO, what I mean is the the self levitation trick has been so overdone why bother doing it. It is like the Zig Zag when it got so popular everyone was doing it... then it died out and all was forgotten. Now it is time to bring it back.

And now is the time to NOT LEVITATE... come up with the next great FAD trick.

[Ryan Matney]

Ah, I understand Pete. I agree.

[Guest]

What hasn't been addressed here is Angel's seeming need to expose his own effect. It makes no sense to spend the time and money to work up something, film it, broadcast it, and then expose it. To what end does this serve Criss Angel's career or theatrical magic in general?

Yes, the Balducci Levitation has been done to death, but that does not excuse or explain Criss' actions in this.

Again, what's the point of a mass-market, Internet-based exposure?

[Pete Biro]

I "think" he made the video to sell and someone got their mitts on it and posted it, not Angel.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Pete Biro:
...And now is the time to NOT LEVITATE... come up with the next great FAD trick.

If a wannabee wanted to make a BIG splash today, they could glue themselves to the ceiling and get the fire department (and the press) to witness his/her rescue.

Add yelping, phone-cam footage and a few good stooges in the warehouse and you get the idea.

[Guest]

If it were in a book it would still be a secret to the masses, however the digital media lends it's self to easy piracy. As long as magic is released on DVD it's a solid guarantee that it will be released for free on the Internet in some form.

That said, plenty still fool spectators with the Balducci or the ball vase or the linking rings... all of which are widely know secrets. Time... and good performances will heal most if not all wounds.

[Matthew Field]

Doesn't this remind anyone else of the Fearson Flotation?

Matt Field

[Guest]

Man, oh man, now it is the coin into can:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/175251/coin_and_can/

sheesh.

[Guest]

Open questions to the inventors of those items:

How does it feel to have your work sold on the streets and then taken into the gutter?

Does the money you got ease any feelings about exposing secrets in public?

Will you send your other creations out into the street? ( and how about anyone else's works? )

One for the publisher(s):

Now that you KNOW what will come of what you publish for mass market will you continue to offer magic secrets in public?

[Guest]

Perhaps this information would be useful to Mr. Houchin or Mr. Angel.

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[Guest]

Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
Perhaps this information would be useful to Mr. Houchin or Mr. Angel....

Even if that gets the clip removed from the place, it likely just brings the material into the "gotta get it" category among those who collect the stuff.

Is it like a scavenger hunt among those people? Is this the next big thing now that all "in the know" got that song by the marine in Iraq?

[Guest]

I find that a great way to battle this kind of exposure among the masses. is by reverting back to our age old art of deception.

It's like using a principle in science. Not EVERYONE knows the secret, but many do, and anybody can find it out. But that's why we take that principle and we find all the gaps and holes that it has, and we cover them, we patch it up with our words, our presentations. Then, when we perform, thsoe who don't know the secret will forever be amazed, and those who do...will be decieved, and therefore...amazed as well.

Just my take on issues like this. It still doesn't make it right to the creators.

//Sean Beard
//Team Ellusionist: Public Relations

[Alan Bursky]

Yeesh. Do you really think the public pays attention to this kind of stuff. Tell me what other magicians are on TV weekly? Criss is the only magician on TV now bring magic as an art to the public. Do you really think Copperfield, Criss, Lance, Penn& Teller, Blaine, really look at the magic forums and give a *****? These are the pros, that lead the way for the rest who hope to be one tenth of the artists thay are.

[Guest]

Chris Angel Came out revealing the levitation on his DVD Masterminds Vol.2. I guess people started to copy it and put it on the internet. :(

[Guest]

Originally posted by Alan Bursky:
Yeesh. Do you really think the public pays attention to this kind of stuff. Tell me what other magicians are on TV weekly?

I went to the "coin in can" exposure link and 43,381 people were interested enough to view it.

Somehow I suspect they're not all members of our little magical niche community.

[Guest]

I hate to break it to you guys,but you can get pretty much most magic DVDs illegally. Metacafe, YouTube etc is the tip of the iceberg. Usenet has thousands of DVDs on it. P2P networks have more, private file shareing FTP sites have even more.

Sure, you can try and get this removed from Metacafe, but you will never, ever stop the piracy. It depeands exactly what you are trying to acheive. I got bootlegged Del Ray stuff on VHS yeas ago at The Magic Circle. You can't buy this - or I would have.

Now the internet has made it easier to trade in bootlegs. Angel is popular so his content will be more easily available then say, Revelations. It's easier to steal music from popular artists than - say - Chet Baker. But still you can steal Baker audio tracks if you look hard enough. I am not, seriouly, condoning this activity. Just letting you know you are fighting and uphill battle that you will never, ever, win.

To be honest, you're wasting your time.

[Guest]

Originally posted by mrgoat:
I hate to break it to you guys,but you can get ...Just letting you know you are fighting and uphill battle that you will never, ever, win.

To be honest, you're wasting your time.

That could lead one to infer that any openly published item may as well be considered "up there for downloads".

Such a premise does not bode well for publishers or those who wish to keep magic secrets within our little community.

Beyond the obvious "stop trying to sell stuff on an open market", any suggestions?

[Richard Kaufman]

Suggestions are:

1) Don't make DVDs or videos of your magic for sale.
2) Do not publish any of your tricks in print.
3) Do not perform your tricks for any magicians.

Very tough rules to abide by, but they will keep your stuff secret.

[Pete Biro]

I think we are all doomed. Everything is now out there and free for anyone.

What to do? Just be happy, do your best and keep being honest to yourself.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
Suggestions are:

1) Don't make DVDs or videos of your magic for sale.
2) Do not publish any of your tricks in print.
3) Do not perform your tricks for any magicians.

Very tough rules to abide by, but they will keep your stuff secret.

The question was how to keep the methods for magic contained to our little community. Does this mean 1-3 in the list above can be equated to exposure plain and simple? :eek:

[Richard Kaufman]

The definition of exposure is a little quagmire I won't step into at the moment.
However, I think we can safely say that explaining your tricks to other magicians doesn't fit most people's definitions of exposure. (There are several who would dispute that, but they're a small group.)
The problem is the Internet: there's no way to contain the flow of information. It used to be a simple matter to keep most trick descriptions inside our community--that's no longer the case.
The door is open and the ghosts are coming out of the closets!

[Guest]

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
The definition of exposure is a little quagmire I won't step into at the moment.
However, I think we can safely say that explaining your tricks to other magicians doesn't fit most people's definitions of exposure. (There are several who would dispute that, but they're a small group.)
The problem is the Internet: there's no way to contain the flow of information. It used to be a simple matter to keep most trick descriptions inside our community--that's no longer the case.
The door is open and the ghosts are coming out of the closets!

The internet makes it easier to steal content, but, that's not to say it didn't happen before. Dodgy VHS copies being traded in magic clubs, lecture notes and even books being photocopied...

The 'issue' has always existed, now it's just a little easier to publish stolen content to a wider audience.

[Guest]

It's worth remembering that Criss Angel's goal may not be to keep his secrets within the magic community, but instead, to promote his show. In that regard, the 43,000 people who download his self-levitation video are helping, not hurting him. They are building Criss's audience and increasing Criss's Q rating (basically, how many people have heard of him and know who he is/what he does), two things which most TV shows spend millions trying to achieve.

People who learn how he did the levitation watch the show, and are flabbergasted by the several other levitations Criss performs, none of which use the same method.

Many musicians rigidly enforce rules against recording their live shows. The Grateful Dead would encourage people to plug into their sound board to get a better quality recording. They were, for a decade or so, the most financially successful touring band in the world.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was available for download the day it was released. It is also the second highest grossing movie of all time.

Digital distribution of copyrighted works makes many artists and producers very uncomfortable. But that does not mean that its overall effect is detrimental to their business. I remember a couple of years ago the RIAA announced that their members had suffered multi-billion-dollar losses due to piracy. Shortly after that they released figures showing that their profit-per-album-released was at an all-time high. Of course, they didn't promote that fact nearly so much.

[Guest]

Unlike the consumer data market, magic is not about "knowing" but performing.

And unlike any other market except military intelligence, the value of magic data depends on its exclusivity to our community.

Our little market depends upon reasonable or at least honorable use of that data. IE if you want to use it, you buy it. As to leakage... sure it happens BUT as with the larger market by and large folks who want a product are willing to buy it.

That leads us to the issue of leakage of data from our market into the larger slurry on the internet. Is what used to be small scale leakage local within our community now a flood on the internet? Is Harbin's book up there?